Every so often, I dedicate a blog post to a particular subject. Sadly, I have to keep reiterating this message over and over again, because the world hasn't really become any kinder to the victims of this abuse.
Especially when our Torah portion is SO relevant to this debate, I simply have to take the bait. I'm talking about abortion. Let's begin this as bluntly as I can: The Torah does NOT oppose abortions. The Bible is NOT a pro-life document. Proof texts that are offered in abortion debates are tenuous and circumstantial AT BEST. Religious groups that oppose abortion hijack the Bible for their own purposes, and they twist and contort the ancient words to justify their behavior. But there is a hypocrisy underlying their behavior. It is blatant, and it is outrageous. Now, our
parashah this week doesn't speak directly to this issue, but it's pretty close. Does that mean I'm manipulating the text to fit MY agenda? Well, I'll let you be the judge of that...
Our ancestor, Jacob, has four wives. Each wife has been able to produce offspring, so by the time we get to our reading, Jacob's got quite the little clan building.
Leah has six sons and a daughter, Bilhah has a couple of boys and so does Zilpah... and after many agonizing years of trying, Rachel FINALLY has a single son, Joseph. Then, as our reading begins, she is once again pregnant, but things are not going so smoothly. This pregnancy has complications, and we're told she has "hard labor" (Gen. 35:16). Luckily (I suppose...), she has a midwife with her, who is helping her through the pain. I cannot even imagine what she is enduring, and as the agony reaches its height, this "helpful" midwife decides to offer Rachel a nugget of wisdom and encouragement: "Have no fear, for you are having another son!" (v. 17) Maybe it's just me, but I find it hard to imagine Rachel's excruciating misery was alleviated by this "joyous" news.
Tragically, our story does not end well. Rachel dies in childbirth. This should surely be the worst part of the saga, but I am also infuriated by the next two verses. First, the Torah tells us that with her dying breath she named her son "Ben-Oni," which means "son of my sorrow." Ok, I'll admit, it isn't
a great name, but surely it's understandable. In that very same verse, Jacob overrides her selection, changes his name, and he is forever known as Benjamin. So much for last wishes... Then, to add final insult to continuous injury, Rachel is buried on the side of the road; the only matriarch left out of the family tomb, where Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob AND Leah are buried. My point in sharing all of these details is to highlight how insignificant the mother was in ancient society. She's the one producing human life out of her body, but she doesn't get to name him AND she's buried along the highway. Even her supportive midwife exclaims: "You may be dying, but cheer up; you're having a boy!"
Dear readers, I hope this story outrages you. Please, please tell me you hate what happens to Rachel! Because women are being treated like her throughout the world, and most definitely here in the United States. Women are having their rights stolen from them constantly. Pro-life groups seem to have absolutely NO regard for what these women are going through; the pain, emotional stress, guilt, and shame.
Not only is it callous and cruel, it's actually hypocritical as well. Just yesterday,
a federal judge in Mississippi struck down a law that would have restricted women's rights even more. In his ruling, the judge cited the state's high infant mortality statistics and noted that Mississippi has not expanded Medicaid. In other words, if these legislators and advocacy groups are SO concerned about preserving life, what are they doing about infant deaths or women's access to healthcare??? Why expend all their efforts attacking these vulnerable women, rather than dedicating time to helping, healing, and comforting?!? It truly boggles my mind. If a story like the one in Genesis bothers us AT ALL, we have to act. Because Rachel's plight is sadly not unique. It isn't an ancient predicament either; it is very real today. As a religious professional, I cannot abide by someone co-opting my Scripture and abusing people with it. They are wrong, plain and simple. We cannot let Rachel's memory continue to be trampled on; we all must do our part to reject this damaging narrative. I hope you will join me.
Images in this blog post:
1. CC image courtesy of
daihung on
Flickr
2. CC image courtesy of
Pexels
3. CC image courtesy of
Jim Champion on
Wikimedia Commons
4. CC image courtesy of
Fibonacci Blue on
Wikimedia Commons
Leah has six sons and a daughter, Bilhah has a couple of boys and so does Zilpah... and after many agonizing years of trying, Rachel FINALLY has a single son, Joseph. Then, as our reading begins, she is once again pregnant, but things are not going so smoothly. This pregnancy has complications, and we're told she has "hard labor" (Gen. 35:16). Luckily (I suppose...), she has a midwife with her, who is helping her through the pain. I cannot even imagine what she is enduring, and as the agony reaches its height, this "helpful" midwife decides to offer Rachel a nugget of wisdom and encouragement: "Have no fear, for you are having another son!" (v. 17) Maybe it's just me, but I find it hard to imagine Rachel's excruciating misery was alleviated by this "joyous" news.
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